Once Upon a Time by Pascal Francine

Author:Pascal, Francine
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-01-18T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

"Come, children," Anna said, as she pushed back her chair after breakfast on Monday morning. "Elizabeth and Jessica are going to play with you outside today."

Elizabeth took a last sip of her espresso, feeling relaxed after a refreshing night's sleep and a delicious breakfast. Elizabeth had woken to a blue sky and a sun-filled room. When she and Jessica had come downstairs, the table was already set with fresh croissants and bowls of yogurt and granola.

"Shall we clear the dishes?" Claudine asked, sitting straight in her chair. She looked darling in a white lace dress and matching boots. Her hair was pulled up in a thick barrette, and long brown ringlets streamed down her back.

Anna smiled. "That would be lovely."

Elizabeth watched the exchange with suspicion. The children had been startlingly well behaved at breakfast, but Elizabeth had a feeling that this was because of Anna's presence.

Claudine scraped off the dishes and piled up the silverware on top of them. Then she stood up and carefully carried the pile to the sink. Pierre stacked up the breakfast bowls and followed her solemnly.

"I want to play!" whined Manon from her high chair, flailing her little dimpled arms about.

Elizabeth picked her up and swung her high in the air. Manon laughed with glee.

After the table was cleared, Anna led the twins outside. The children followed in a line like little angels.

Elizabeth sucked in her breath as they got outside. It was a beautiful, clear day. Lush green meadows stretched out for miles, meeting up with the dense forest. A sparkling lake could be seen through the trees, and a neat maze of square hedges stood off in the distance to the right. Directly in front of the castle was a wild rose garden, which perfumed the balmy summer air with its sweet scent.

Anna led them past a covered gazebo, where the countess and her daughter were having tea with the prince and princess. A silver teapot stood on a glass table, and china blue cups were set out.

The countess glanced at the twins as they passed and began to gesticulate wildly, speaking loudly in French. The scornfully pronounced words "les Americaines" reached Elizabeth's ears, but she couldn't catch anything else.

Oh, well, Elizabeth thought, shrugging. It was just as well that she couldn't hear what the witch was saying about them.

"Hey, is that a maze?" Jessica asked, pointing to the huge labyrinth of trees far to the right.

Anna nodded. "One of the biggest topiary mazes in France."

Elizabeth was enchanted. "Really? How long has it been here?"

"Supposedly it was constructed sometime in the twelfth century as an amusement," Anna responded. Manon jumped in front of her and stretched out her arms. Anna leaned down and picked her up.

"Let's take the kids into the maze!" Jessica suggested.

"No, that is something you absolutely must not do," Anna said, bouncing Manon on her hip. Her voice was stern and solemn. "The maze is more complicated than it looks," she warned. "You can get lost in it for days.

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